The Sign for Glass Slipper
by Truthful Blasphemy
Summary: A long time ago in the Kingdom of Carlton, an orphaned girl was forced to live with a family that abused her. She cleaned for them, cooked, and grew up to be beautiful...but she was different. She was hearing. A hearing girl would never be able to capture the heart of the deaf Crown Prince, Emmett. But will true love be able to conquer all? It usually does. AU Emmett/Bay
1. Chapter 1

**I know the people reading For Eternity are going to KILL me for starting another story, but this is just a two or three chapter long project so that I can say I've contributed to my new fandom.**

**Here is the deaf version of Cinderella in which everything is very AU and very switched up. Don't like it? Not my problem. Like it? Reviews motivate me to write faster.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Switched at Birth, that belongs to ABC Family.**

**NOTE: The bold words are sign language. **

**Glad we've gotten that all out of the way. Now, enjoy.**

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"You're going to be a good girl, right Bay?" Regina Vasquez asked her five-year-old daughter. Bay clung tightly to her mother's thin hand. She ran a wash cloth across the caramel brown curls to no avail. Regina was burning with fever. The plague had killed many in the family's village, Regina being one of the last victims.

"Yes, Mama," Bay replied. "I love you, Mama."

"I know you do, Bay. I love you, too," Regina replied, her breathing becoming irregular as she struggled to stay alive. She knew the sickness would end her life momentarily, but she had to say goodbye to her daughter. "You can do anything in life, amore, don't forget that. I'll always love you and you will always find a way to win your happiness, my bright little Bay."

"I love you so much, Mama," Bay cried, finally giving up hope that her mother would live. Even at a young age, Bay understood death.

"I love you, too, Bay. I love you, too," and with those words, Regina Vasquez breathed her last and closed her eyes.

The week seemed like a blur as Regina was buried in the overflowing churchyard among the bodies of other poor people. A man came by the house and introduced himself to Bay as Patrick, the man who would find her someplace to live. All of her family was dead and Patrick was her only chance at finding a new home.

Two weeks later she was dropped off in front of a sprawling chateau next door to the palace, her small bag of clothes by her side.

"**So you are Regina's daughter," **Katherine signed to the little girl in front of her. Bay was glad her mother had taught her to sign. **"Patrick told me about you."**

"**Yes, Ma'am, my name is Bay," **Bay signed to the tall, strawberry blond woman in front of her. Katherine Kennish was domineering and scary to the small, shy little girl.

"**Let me show you where your room is," **Katherine replied, her mouth puckered shut in mimicry of a smile. To Bay it just looked like she had been sucking on a lemon.

"**Is this the girl?" **a young man who had hair like Katherine asked from a doorway.

"**Yes, this is Bay. She'll be staying with us and helping around the house," **Katherine smiled to her son, gesturing with annoyance at Bay when she was mentioned.

"**Whatever," **and the boy retreated back into his room, closing the great wooden door behind him. Bay heard a stringed instrument begin playing moments later, but she was being ushered down the hall again before she could really hear anything.

"**That was my son, Toby. My daughter Daphne is with her tutor currently," **Katherine explained before opening a small door and herding the stumbling Bay down the steps and into the cellar. Off to the side of the rickety staircase was another doorway, which led to a small room. A sagging cot covered in several quilts occupied one corner, a fireplace occupied another and a table with old papers and pieces of charcoal littered across it took up the space next to the door. One wall was totally blank and unobstructed.

A hand grabbed her shoulder and Bay started, turning back to face Katherine. **"Sorry! The room is really nice, thank you."**

"**Well don't get used to being spoiled. You're going to have to work to earn your keep. Daphne, Toby, John and I are above you. You're hearing. You're strange. Keep silent and do not make eye contact with either of my children, my husband or myself. You can sleep here tonight, do not come upstairs. Make sure you are awake on time to help with breakfast," **Katherine explained before turning on her heel and marching back up the steps, closing the door behind her and leaving Bay in near-darkness.

"Oh Mama," she dared speak aloud, "Please let me find companionship. And if I cannot, help me bide the darkness on my own."

She made a fire in her small fireplace using the piles of wood stacked up around the cellar. To the light of the flickering flames, she sketched her mother's face on one of the papers with the charcoal left on the desk and tacked it to the empty wooden wall.

Then, with a sigh, Bay crawled into bed and slept peacefully for the first time in two weeks, knowing her mother would help protect her in this new environment.

The next morning, Bay changed into a plain brown frock and went upstairs to help prepare breakfast for the Kennish family. The woman in the kitchen smiled at her. "You're Bay, huh?"

"You can hear?" Bay smiled brightly. The portly woman nodded at her and motioned for Bay to get a loaf of bread from the oven. "Well my name is Bay Vasquez."

"I'm Rosie," the cook introduced herself, slicing up the bread Bay handed her.

"It's very nice to meet you, Rosie!" Bay piped. "What can I do to help?"

"Just take the bread and butter in there and set it on the table," Rosie instructed. Bay grabbed the plate of sliced bread and a small crock of freshly-churned butter and walked it out to the table, setting it down and curtseying before back out of the room again. She'd never been stared at so harshly by anyone before. The glares being shot her way burned invisible holes in her clothes until she felt naked and ran back to the kitchen, her curly coffee-colored hair flying out behind her.

_Daphne is only as old as I am! _Bay thought, _yet she looked at me as if I was a child. Some sort of slave. Something absolutely worthless. How could anyone so privileged be so angry and intolerant? _

That afternoon Bay watched as Daphne and Toby climbed into a beautiful carriage pulled by two big black horses and rode off toward the castle, their parents retreating into the aviary to look at the birds. Bay hated thinking that the birds were locked up in a cage, but Daphne liked to look at them and Bay had no say in anything. Mostly her mind was focused on the carriage and where it was going.

"Where do Toby and Daphne go on Saturdays?" Bay asked Rosie, turning from her little seat near the window. Rosie placed the meat pie she was making into the oven and turned her flushed face to the curious girl before her.

"They go to the palace. They are playmates to His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince Emmett," Rosie explained.

"Oh." Bay replied, her large brown eyes flicking out the window to the palace nearby. "It must be fun to get to play with the Prince."

"I wouldn't know, I'm too old," Rosie joked, making Bay smile brightly. "Now how about you come over here and help me wash these apples. If we clean them all in time, we can save two and roast them over the fire tonight. My treat."

"Goody!" Bay clapped, rushing over and happily dunking her arms into the water, washing the apples as quickly and as thoroughly as possible.

Years passed, and nothing changed. The Kingdom of Carlton remained peaceful and war-free. Crops flourished and the people signed happily to each other.

Bay was ignored by the family except to receive orders or new clothes when hers wore out or she became too tall to fit into them anymore. She borrowed Daphne's books and became knowledgeable in many topics varying from English to Math. Her artwork covered the walls of her cellar room. At seventeen she had grown and become pretty, her hair silky and long and curly and her figure rounded. She was thin due to malnutrition, but her womanly curves were visible under the baggy brown kirtle given to her by the Katherine. Bay's face was almost always smudged with charcoal from drawing, and her hands were calloused from working in the garden, kitchen, and from cleaning.

Every Saturday Daphne and Toby went to the castle to visit with Prince Emmett, and every week Daphne returned more determined than ever to marry him. The only problem was, Bay heard from Rosie, that Emmett had no romantic interest in Daphne. According to the law he only had until his eighteenth birthday to find a bride or his parents could choose one for him. And according to the Kinnesh parents, his birthday was approaching fast.


	2. Chapter 2

**You really have no idea how much I adore ASL. Learning about deaf culture and learning the language...it's so beautiful. I wish I could have been part of that community. **

**But...the only thing I can do is write Cinderella fanfiction about my Switched at Birth OTP...so here's chapter two.**

**Disclaimer: Switched at Birth belongs to ABC Family. Lucas Grabeel's soul belongs to Ashley Tisdale.**

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"**I'm sure the marriage proposal will arrive any day now," **Katherine reassured her worried daughter.

"**But what if he doesn't choose me," **Daphne signed quickly, pacing. Her mother waved to get her daughter's attention and Daphne paused, turning to face the other red haired woman.

"**Who else would he choose?" **Katherine smiled, patting her daughter on the shoulder. Bay rushed in right at that moment, a letter stamped with the Bledsoe Royal Seal held in her calloused, dirty hand. Daphne and her mother turned to face the servant girl, their eyes filled with anger at her interruption. But Katherine saw the envelope and her eyes widened, quickly grabbing it away and tearing it open, not even bothering to shoo Bay out of the room before devouring its contents with her gaze.

"**It's an invitation to a ball," **Katherine signed, once she had finished reading. **"A ball that all eligible girls are ordered to attend so that the Prince may choose his bride and announce his engagement. It is to be held in a fortnight, a week before Prince Emmett's eighteenth birthday."**

"**I thought he would choose me," **Daphne replied, her face distressed.

"**Maybe it's just a formality," **Katherine comforted. Both women turned, realizing that Bay was still in the room. Katherine glared at her but Bay signed her question before anyone could order her out of the room.

"**Does this mean that I get to go, too?" **Bay asked, her brown eyes shining with hope. She wasn't necessarily interested in the Prince or his hand in marriage; she just wanted to see the castle. What kind of art covered the walls? What kind of dresses would the women be wearing? Bay wanted to see it all for herself like Daphne had seen it every Saturday afternoon her entire life.

"**Of course not. How could you even ask such a thing? This ball is far above your station," **Katherine signed haughtily. Bay hadn't thought that people could move their hands in a way that looked vain, but she had been wrong. Every member of the Kennish family was born knowing how to be better than everyone else.

"**I'm sorry I asked, I'll get back to work," **Bay curtsied and hurried from the room, only more determined to go to the ball.

The ball, despite holding promise of quiet rebellion, also meant more work for Bay, who now had to sew two completely new dresses for Daphne and Katherine, along with making masks. Prince Emmett had decided to add an air of mystique to his ball by turning it into a costumed masquerade. Daphne was, of course, going as something magnificent and regal: a swan. Bay went to bed every night with feathers stuck in her curls and a bad case of the sniffles.

"**And don't think you're going to convince me to let you go, it's not going to happen," **Katherine reminded Bay as the young woman painstakingly embroidered a silver ripple pattern into Daphne's silk-on-pasteboard mask. Katherine's own dress and mask were made up to look like a pond in shades of blue and ugly lily-pad green. Bay rolled her eyes at the concept and continued her sewing. She knew that between the two dresses and masks, she wouldn't have enough time to secretly make her own. Nor did she have the materials.

But just as well, Bay confided in Rosie her deep-seated childhood wish to see the inside of the castle. The brown-haired girl even showed her friend the sketches of dress designs she'd had in mind. Rosie sympathized, continuing to aid the miserable child whenever she could with extra food and words of encouragement.

At last, the night of the ball arrived. Bay and Rosie got the Kennish women ready and handed them up into their carriage. John and Toby, not having felt the need to attend, waved them off from the drive. **"We'll be off to bed now, goodnight ladies," **John signed to Bay and Rosie, who curtsied and returned to the kitchen.

"Alright, are you ready to go to a royal ball?" Rosie asked, winking at Bay. Bay looked over at her friend, dismay written all over her beautiful face.

"I didn't get time to make a dress or mask, you know that," Bay sighed, "Please don't tease me."

"You didn't have the time, but I did," Rosie winked, disappearing into the servant's quarters near the kitchen. Bay raised a quizzical eyebrow at her friend's behavior. The stout woman returned shortly, a dress draped over her arm. When she proffered it to Bay, the young artist nearly burst into tears. Deep black silk fell in layers, the brocade fabric of the bodice was swirled with smoky designs that matched the skirt perfectly, and the short sleeves rested on her upper arms. Bay knew that the sleeves were only there for show, because the dress was held up by a corset in the back; it was one of her favorite designs.

"Oh Rosie...it's absolutely perfect! How did you get all these materials?" Bay asked, her stunned expression turning to confusion as she looked up at her best friend, mentor, and confidant. Rosie had been her adopted mother and Bay was more than grateful for the gift, but wondered how Rosie could afford silk and brocade on a servant's salary.

"I had a daughter once who died of the plague," Rosie explained, "The same plague that most likely killed your mother. She died a year before you arrived. You were my second chance for a child, Bay, and I would do anything for you. This gown is made with cloth I bought using my daughter's would-be dowry money. She would have smiled and agreed with my choice, for you and your brave soul and your caring heart are a worthy cause."

"Oh Rosie," Bay cried, burying her face in the older woman's shoulder. "You're wonderful! You're the best mother I could have asked for."

"Well, let's not stand here wasting time on sentimentalities," Rosie mocked playfully, wiping away a tear that had escaped, "Get that dress on and I'll get the rest of your things."

"The rest?" Bay asked, raising her eyebrow again.

"Your mask and shoes of course!" Rosie exclaimed.

Bay pulled off the smudged apron and dirty brown day dress she usually wore and folded them, setting them gently on top of each other on a chair nearby. She couldn't afford damaging or losing the clothes given to her by the Kennish family. They would throw a fit over it and make her miss meals or work even harder (if that was possible) on her chores to repay them.

The black dress was pulled on slowly and carefully. Bay marveled at the smoothness of the black cloth around her legs and smiled at the gentle _swoosh _noises her large skirt made when she moved. "Rosie?" she called after her friend, who had not returned.

"Sorry dear, one moment," Rosie called back. Bay stood and admired the dress, running her hands repeatedly down the front of it. It felt like water and shimmered in that same elusive way. "Ah, yes, here we are. Let's fasten you up!"

Rosie made quick work of the corseted back of the dress and sat Bay down at the dining room table, expertly tying up her hair. When the maid was finished, Bay's hair was coiffed in a bun with one gentle curl hanging down to frame her face on the left side. "Now for the mask," Rosie giggled, holding it up.

"Oh Rosie, is that what I'm supposed to be going to Prince Emmett's ball as? A black cat?" Bay laughed, allowing her friend to tie the black silk ribbons around her head, securing the mask in place. The two pointed ends of the silk-on-pasteboard mask looked just like ears. With the dress and mask in place, Bay looked like the luckiest black cat to have ever walked the halls of the Bledsoe Family Palace.

"Yes, a little black cat. Because you're feline, graceful, and poised," Rosie winked. "But let's get you to the ball before you have to turn right around and come back without having any fun."

"Right," Bay smiled. "How am I going to get there?"

"You know how to ride a horse," Rosie teased. "But tonight I asked my cousin to drive you in his carriage, since his daughters are both happily married and have no need to attend the ball."

"Rosie, you couldn't be any more perfect if you tried!" Bay declared, allowing the woman to usher her to the door. "Rosie, I'm not wearing any shoes."

"Right, of course, how silly of me," Rosie laughed, dashing back to the kitchen and returning in moments with something that made Bay stop in her excited thought process and pause.

"Are those made of glass?" the surprised young woman asked.

"Yes, and they're molded exactly to your feet," Rosie smiled, "I borrowed your shoes."

"That's why they were missing last week!" Bay cried, laughing. Rosie helped Bay step into the surprisingly comfortable footwear. "Now get in that carriage and go enjoy your night. The Missus won't be back until early morning, so return by midnight and you they won't even realize that you've left!"

"Thank you so much, Rosie, for everything!" Bay called out the window as the carriage pulled into the road leading to the palace. The girl nearly bounced in her seat the whole way there. A dream she had been harboring since childhood, the first dream she'd ever had since her mother's death, was being realized. She was dressed in something better than even Daphne could dream of wearing, personalized glass shoes graced her feet and she was on her way to Prince Emmett's ball to see the palace from the inside for the first time. Her head was spinning. She was so busy daydreaming that she didn't see them pulling up the front steps of the castle.

"We've arrived, Miss," the voice of the footman alerted her, and suddenly the door was being opened and she was stepping down onto the blue velvet carpet leading up to the doors. Bay floated up the flight of stairs, her eyes glued to the great palace's facade, unable to be torn from the carvings and gargoyles and huge banners carrying the Bledsoe family crest. She was so enamored with the art that she didn't hear the murmurs of the other guests speculating about her true identity.

"_The daughter of some foreign royalty, perhaps."_

"_A duchess no one has ever seen at court before."_

"_A banished Princess who has been waiting all this time for someone to throw a masked ball so she could return home."_

"_A Princess from a far-away land hoping to preserve her family's honor."_

"_Some sort of Princess." _

"_Yes! A Princess indeed! Look at how she carries herself."_

Bay followed the other people, allowing herself to be ushered to the top of a great staircase leading down into the ballroom. She floated down those stairs in as much of a daze as she had walked up the palace's front steps in. She gazed at the art covering the walls, taking it all in and reveling in the feeling of belonging, even though she knew these would never be her people. She was here to see the sights, not drink and gossip and prey on the Prince's affections.

"**Hello," **someone signed to her from behind their wolf mask, **"I like your mask."**

"**Thank you," **Bay returned with a small curtsey. **"Yours as well, Mr. Wolf. Though I'm rather hoping you don't decide to make a dinner of cat tonight."**

"**No, you are far too beautiful," **the man signed, bowing. Bay curtseyed quickly again and hurried away, hiding her blush.

She wove her way through the crowd and found her way to the small paintings off to one side. The entire royal family had been painted, each of them sternly observing the festivities of the night. Sidling along and looking at the brush strokes up close, Bay's smile only grew. Masters had painted portraits of old royal family members. Masters had painted the _new _royal family as well, and Bay perused the history of her country with an artist's critical eye, not needing to be part of the party atmosphere behind her. The realm of painted, smiling faces intrigued her. How had each different artist captured their subject on canvas? As she was examining a portrait of the king's mother, the queen regent, someone tapped her shoulder. Bay jumped slightly and quickly turned around.

"**Sorry to have scared you," **signed a boy with brown-red hair and bright blue eyes, **"But may I have this dance?"**

"**I'm not the best dancer," **Bay replied. She took in his elaborate fox mask and beautiful clothes, knowing he must be someone of high importance.

"**Neither am I," **the boy winked, and Bay laughed. She accepted his outstretched hand and whirled onto the dance floor, her eyes locked with those of the mysterious blue-eyed fox.


	3. Chapter 3

**Come on, guys. I know I have more favorites and followers than I do reviews! If I can get 10 reviews on this story I will be eternally grateful and maybe even do another fairytale Bay/Emmett! Or whatever pairing you guys would like to see. **

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The boy, whoever he was, danced smoothly and gracefully. Bay smiled, her mind racing. _He dances like a fox. Do I dance like a cat? Who is this mysterious boy? _She was pulled from her reverie as the song ended. Everyone turned to face the orchestra, their hands waving in the air, and Bay's along with them. When she turned back to face the boy, he winked. **"Would you maybe like to go somewhere more private?" **

** "Privacy would be wonderful," **Bay replied, intrigued. She followed him as he pushed through the crowd, his hand firmly holding onto hers to make sure she didn't get lost in the cloud of dancing, signing, bustling people. Eventually they reached a small side door, which he ushered her through before following her. It led to a small terrace covered in potted plants. A small bench waited, empty, in one corner. The boy led her to it and offered her a seat next to him, which she accepted.

**"You are a good dancer," **he smiled, **"How come I've never seen you at the palace before?"**

** "I don't really belong in a palace," **Bay signed, hanging her head slightly before looking back up at him. **"In all honesty, I didn't even expect to dance tonight. I just wanted to look at the artwork and see inside the castle."**

** "Really? You came to the Crown Prince's ball dressed to dazzle and you were only interested in the art?" **the boy seemed incredulous.

**"No offence to the Prince, but I'm not quite qualified for him," **Bay laughed, her eyes wandering the terrace. It was beautiful. The stars were shining in the sky and the full moon shone down on them, bathing them in silver light and making her dress shimmer in that liquid way it had. She had never felt so beautiful.

**"I don't think he's looking for qualifications, I think he just wants someone to love who will understand him," **the boy replied, once he had her attention again.

**"Understanding is important. I hope to find someone, someday, who will love art and music just as much as I do," **Bay signed confidently. **"Maybe I'll find someone who's willing to protect me but won't smother me with attention and knows when I need space. Someone willing to accept my faults and embrace my good points. I'd do the same thing and we'd get to know each other and be best friends and...I know it sounds like I'm looking for an impossible man, but I hope to find him. I want to get away from where I am now."**

The boy, who was indeed the Crown Prince Emmett himself, smiled at the enigmatic but beautiful cat sitting beside him. Her brown eyes were full of wonder and courage and energy and her skin was like white marble in the moonlight. Her almost-black hair shone with a brilliance that almost seemed to radiate from within her. She described the man she hoped to find and Emmett tried to relate the details back. Could he be the man this beautiful girl needed so badly?

**"Why do you want to leave so much?" **he asked.

**"I'm not wanted in my house," **Bay replied. It was a simple concept for her, something she'd learned to live with.

**"Why not?" **Emmett asked, concerned.

**"If I tell you, you must promise not to make fun of me or shun me away, I like talking to you. You're the best listener I've ever met," **Bay explained. Emmett nodded and crossed his heart, the sign for a promise. Bay took a deep breath, **"I'm hearing."**

** "That's why you're not wanted?" **Emmett asked, nearly in a rage. _How could anyone mistreat this girl simply because she could hear? She was a wonderful signer and a beautiful human being and…it just wasn't fair. _**"Simply because you can do something that they can't?"**

They both sat in silence for a few moments before the boy turned to face Bay again and got her attention.

**"I'm so sorry, beautiful cat," **Emmett signed to the girl. **"What's your name?"**

** "My name is-" **but before Bay could finish spelling her name, the clock tower chimed twelve. Bay knew she had to leave now or risk being seen and punished by Daphne and Katherine. **"It's much too late, I must go!"**

** "Wait-" **But she was gone, dashing through the door, across the dance floor, up the stairs, and out the large front gate. Emmett called after her, the noise ripping itself from his throat. It sounded as broken as he felt, having not gotten the girl's name in time. He wanted her, wanted to get to know her, and wanted to hold her and tell her that hearing or not she was beautiful and interesting. It wasn't love, but it was a deep interest and attraction he could not deny.

On the front steps, the sound stopped Bay, and she turned to face the palace. _Had he really cried out for her? To stop her? Was she worth that much?_ The mysterious boy was approaching fast, so she turned around and kept running. In her hurry, the heel of one shoe got caught in the velvet on the steps, and Bay kicked it loose and kept running until she was safely in Rosie's cousin's carriage, moving down the long palace drive. She watched the strange boy's shrinking figure find her shoe and clutch it to him as if it were the last piece of her existence. Then, with a sinking heart, she assumed that it would be.

She didn't even know who he was. Just a deaf boy in a fox mask who had asked her to dance.

"How was it, dear?" Rosie asked the second Bay stepped into the kitchen.

"It was wonderful," Bay smiled, removing the remaining shoe and her mask. "Help me change back before Katherine and Daphne get home!"

"Alright, but you've got to tell me all about it," Rosie insisted. Bay explained the what had happened as she took off the beautiful silk dress and replaced it with her work frock. Rosie's eyes widened when she spoke of the handsome boy in the fox mask she had danced and talked with, and the great pieces of art that adorned the walls. "Vases from China, Rosie, they were everywhere! The entire palace seemed to be made of different forms of art! I could barely take it all in!"

"What about the boy?" Rosie inquired.

"I don't know. I didn't catch his name," Bay shrugged. "But he was handsome and sweet and such a gentleman…I wish we could have been part of the same world."

"Who says you can't be?" Rosie asked. Bay, who was standing in front of the door leading down to her cellar room, smiled sadly.

"We're from very different worlds," Bay said, before descending.

Back at the palace, Prince Emmett was in a flurry. Attendants scrambled to figure out a way to find the girl he had danced with. **"Are you sure she's the one you want?" **his father asked, raising his eyebrows worriedly.

**"Yes, I need to find her," **Emmett explained. He didn't even know why he was so driven to find, hold, and fall for the little black cat. He just knew that he needed to.

**"What did she look like?" **asked the prime minister.

**"Brown eyes, pale, curly dark hair and she was hearing," **at this declaration everyone stopped.

**"A hearing girl? Are you **_**really **_**sure about this?" **the queen asked.

**"Hearing or not, she signed beautifully and was one of the most interesting and wonderful people I've ever met," **Emmett declared, **"And I will find her."**

** "Yes, of course," **the rest agreed before busying themselves again. Emmett knew he wouldn't be getting very much sleep until the nameless girl was in his arms again, never to leave.

The next morning at the Kennish household, Daphne bragged to Bay about how wonderful the party was while Bay peeled potatoes for dinner, her mind mostly focused on the night before. **"The prince was so handsome, and he even danced with me!" **Daphne signed smugly.

**"What did he look like?" **Bay asked, pausing in her chore.

**"He has beautiful bright blue eyes and reddish hair," **Daphne said dreamily, her eyes unfocused and far away.

**"What was his costume?" **Bay inquired, thinking of her fox.

**"He was dressed as a fox," **Daphne answered. Bay dropped the potato in her hand and hurried to pick it up again. **"What's gotten you so rattled?"**

** "Nothing, sorry, just slippery,"** Bay replied, rinsing the potato in a bucket of water and setting it aside to be sliced by Rosie. Her mind was screaming, _you danced with the Prince! And he wanted you! He talked to you!__  
_

**"Well he should be coming soon to propose," **Daphne said confidently. **"Unless he wants that other girl everyone saw him dancing with. Though I doubt it, she left in such a rush I assume she was rejected quite soundly by Prince Emmett."**

** "Well I wish you the best of luck," **Bay signed, **"But I must peel these for dinner."**

** "Yes you do,"** Daphne laughed before exiting the kitchen in that hip-swishing way of hers. Only minutes later did a knock at the door summon Bay, who bowed her head and opened the door. A royal attendant stepped inside.

**"I am looking for all the women in this household," **he declared. Bay nodded, offering him a seat in the sitting room before rushing to get Daphne and Katherine.

**"I am here on Prince Emmett's bequest," **the attendant explained, **"He will be here momentarily to see if his future bride resides here."**

Daphne and Katherine exchanged excited looks while Bay rushed back to the kitchen to hide. _Oh no, now what? He'll never really want me once he finds out what I am. Nothing but a servant girl in his best friend's kitchen._


	4. Chapter 4

**The final installment. **

**Who wants me to write another one? Please leave a review or PM me with an idea! I will happily consider!**

**Disclaimer: ABC Family owns Switched at Birth.**

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Only moments after Bay disappeared into the kitchen, Prince Emmett stepped through the door and bowed shallowly to his childhood friend and her mother. He knew that Daphne could not have been his beautiful cat, but on the pretense of fairness, he allowed her to try on the glass slipper. Daphne kicked off her own shoe and allowed Emmett to attempt to replace it with the delicate glass footwear. When it didn't fit, the Prince had to control the smile that threatened to cross his handsome features. He didn't want to have to marry Daphne. They were such good friends, marriage would only be awkward. Now he had to find his cat, having proven that Daphne certainly wasn't the one he was looking for.

**"Are these all the women of this house?" **Emmett asked the attendant, just to be sure.

**"No, Sire. There was another one who answered the door but she was just a servant," **he replied.

**"Well find her, it is royal decree that **_**all **_**the women in the kingdom try on the slipper," **Emmett demanded. Daphne stood and smiled coyly at him while the attendant swept into the kitchen in search of the missing dark-haired servant girl.

**"Why go through all the trouble of trying glass slippers on unimportant servant girls when I'm here?" **Daphne asked, raising her eyes to Emmett's. He sighed.

**"Daphne, you're beautiful and smart and funny, but I've known you my entire life. It would be difficult to start a family with you. I love you more like a sister than a potential wife," **Emmett replied, almost stony faced. Daphne held back her tears. She had always thought that she would end up with Emmett, and realizing that it would never happen was heartbreaking.

**"If you don't find her, though, you must marry my daughter," **Katherine added, but the conversation was interrupted when the attendant returned dragging a kicking and flailing Bay, who calmed as soon as she was in the presence of the Prince. She kept her head down, only looking up enough to see that the Prince was signing for her to sit down on the chair, which she did apprehensively.

**"Emmett, it couldn't be Bay you are looking for," **Daphne signed, laughing. **"She's nothing but a servant girl!"**

** "Bay should have been at the ball, servant or not," **Emmett frowned back. **"That was my father's decree."**

** "She isn't of our station in life," **Daphne shot back. Bay didn't want to look hurt by the things they were saying about her, but she was. She was even more ashamed now, with the Prince, her fox, standing before her. If he were to find out that she was the girl he danced with, he would hastily accept Daphne as his new bride. She sunk even lower against the couch and tried to hide the look of utter dismay on her face.

**"Are you okay?" **Emmett signed to her. Bay looked up, tears shining in her brown eyes.

**"No," **she replied.

**"Why not?" **Emmett asked, kneeling before her and gazing at her. Her head hung down, her hands signing half-heartedly in her lap.

**"What do you want from me?" **she asked in return, ignoring his question completely. Emmett knelt and removed her dirty shoe, offering her the glass slipper. She lifted her head and made brief eye-contact with the Prince before he glanced down at her shoes.

**"I just want you to try this on," **Emmett instructed, before taking a _real _look into Bay's eyes. Immediately he recognized his cat, the emotion swirling through the chocolate-brown of her irises revealed all to him; he needed to keep up his mask of indifference to keep from giving it away to Daphne and Katherine. Where John and Toby were Emmett neither knew nor cared. He had found his beautiful cat.

**"Okay…" **Bay slid her foot easily into the glass slipper, which was molded perfectly to fit her slender foot. Daphne felt her heart drop to her shoes. _All these years of abusing Bay have lead to this, she is getting what she deserves, happiness. _Bay smiled, seeing the joy in the Prince's eyes, and pulling the second shoe out from her apron pocket to place on the other foot. **"And here is the other. A matching pair."**

** "As we will be for the rest of our lives!" **Emmett declared, lifting Bay up and spinning her around. **"You said you wanted someone who would love you no matter what. I don't care if you are a servant, or that you're hearing. I just want to love you and hold you and encourage your passion to live for the rest of eternity. Will you, Bay, be my wife?" **

**"Oh, Emmett, of course I will!" **Bay exclaimed. She was giddy. The man who she had described had been sitting next to her at the ball and had fought his way through the kingdom to find her, a feat that couldn't have been easy.

**"Then we shall be wed at once!"**

** "And then what shall we do?"**

** "Live happily ever after, of course!"**

And with that, Emmett carried Bay from the house, placed her in front of him on his horse, and rode away to the castle with her securely in his arms. They were married the following week, and as Emmett had predicted, they lived happily ever after.


End file.
